Types of attention
by Deadeye47
Summary: It starts with one afternoon, and leads to much, much more. Rei/Nagisa. Slash! Cute fluffyness and some drama.
1. Chapter 1

It was a normal, average, completely not, _not,_ a romantic day.

It was raining actually, and he was walking through the hallway, listening to the water pad against the windows. It was empty, the lights off, and shadows flicked on the smooth floors like playful spirits. Rei watched them out of the corner of his eye as he walked, taking his pace rather slow. Most of the students had gone home, he was just wandering around, waiting for the rain to let up, and maybe, _maybe_ secretly waiting for Nagisa. It was an average day, certainly not one for anything particularly heroic or roman-

"Hey, you know, you could always come with us?" He heard voices at the end of the hallway, near the stairwell.

He brushed it off and continued walking, until the youngest member's voice rang through the air. "Well, I really need to get going, and I have to meet my frie-"

He heard several chuckles interrupt his cheery friend, which was extremely uncommon, as the blonde wasn't silenced easily. His voice seemed quieted, almost crushed. Rei was instantly concerned and began to walk faster, coming closer to the stairs. He turned around the corner and spotted the small boy pressed up against the wall, with two bulky seniors on either side, watching his lithe form wriggle under their hungry gazes. Nagisa was clutching his bag to his chest and letting out small puffs of breath, something he did when he was nervous. He spotted a piece of paper crunched up in his right hand, squished around the side of the bag as he held onto the item tightly. He wondered faintly what it was, but remained silent as the three did not notice him, each too distracted by the others.

"You're so cute, why don't you just let us have some fun?" The larger of the two leaned in, breathing close to Nagisa's ear and causing the younger boy's eyes to widen.

Something in Rei snapped.

He rushed forward, pulling the oversized teen out of Nagisa's face and flinging him against the opposite wall. Nagisa's face was instantly flooded with relief, and Rei smiled.

"Rei-chan!" He shouted. The two boys chuckled.

"Yeah _Rei-chan, _how about you get the fuck out of the way." The one still dangerously close to Nagisa spoke. He sent Rei a glare, however, the blue haired boy did not falter. He felt anger bubble up inside him and came face to face with the male, a ragged teen with short, black hair.

"I believe it is wiser for you to get the fuck out of way." He replied. The larger of the two, still leaning against the opposite wall with a mop of long, blonde hair, let out a growl.

"Don't mess around, you pussy." He grunted. Nagisa stood tall, but keep his form behind Rei as the two began to walk backwards, trying to slip around the corner.

The blonde reached out and grabbed Nagisa's wrist, somehow maneuvering around Rei, and pulled him to his chest. Nagisa dropped his case and paper, letting out a squeak as he came face to face with chest. The beast inside Rei let out a roar and he lashed out, without thinking, punching the man in the face. He lost his grip on the small male, who gathered up his belongings and scrambled to get out of the way. Rei moved forward again and grabbed the back of his shirt, spun him around, and threw him towards the form of the other who was coming rumbling towards him from the other side.

The black haired male dodged his partner, letting him slam into the wall and let out a cry of pain. He crumpled. Before Rei could think of attacking the blonde again, a fist was thrown towards his face and his cheek erupted in heat, pain bursting into his mouth and through his face. He was thrown back and collapsed on the ground.

"Rei-chan!" Nagisa screamed.

Rei stood up quickly, dodging a kick and snatching Nagisa's wrist.

He sprinted down the hallway, ignoring the sharp pain in his face and the curses ringing down the halls.

He couldn't think of where to go, and he led them outside, into the rain, by the pool.

Rei felt his cheeks burning, not only due to his injury, but to the fact that their hands had slipped together and their fingers intertwined.

"Rei-chan, are you okay?" Nagisa asked quickly. Rei turned to his companion, his anger subsiding as he looked into two, big innocent orbs filled with worry. He smiled.

"Yes, of course, I just, couldn't stand to watch you get harassed that way." He blurt out.

Nagisa smiled. "Thank you Rei-chan, but, I'm sorry you got punched, and it is partly my fault…"

Rei shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's fine."

Nagisa's face suddenly lit up. "Come to my house! No, don't give me that look! No one's home and I want to repay you. I'll ice your bruise and fix you dinner, how does that sound?"

Rei hesitated. "Nagi-"

"Please!" He begged, unleashing big, pleading eyes.

Rei sighed and nodded, allowing himself to be pulled out of the rain, which he had honestly forgotten about, being in Nagisa's presence, and through the school.

Honestly, it was just a normal day!

_Will be continued. _


	2. Chapter 2

By the time they had reached Nagisa's home, the rain had stopped, leaving the soft scent of wet earth wafting through the air. Rei took a deep breath as they approached the door, his cheek pain now down to a dull ache. He could feel the swelling near his eye, and he ran his tongue over his lower lip, tasting copper. Thankfully, his glasses hadn't been cracked during the fight, but he had taken them off anyways, as they agitated his bruise. Nagisa quickly rummaged through his bag, and glanced up at Rei momentarily. His cheeks flared with pink before he pushed the piece of paper, clutched in his right hand for the walk home, into the bag. Rei caught the motion out of the corner of his eye, but thought nothing of it. Nagisa pulled his keys out of his bag and turned around, unlocking the door.

"Rei-chan, come inside, sit, please!" He threw his bag onto the floor, and quickly slipped his shoes off. Rei followed inside silently, finding a spot to sit at the table.

Nagisa dashed into the kitchen, coming back with an ice pack and chips. Rei eyed him warily, a smile coming to play on his lips. "That's your food Nagisa?" He asked playfully.

Said blonde jutted out his lower lip, and Rei couldn't help but admire how cute he looked. "Ahh, I don't have any other food right now! I'll make it up to you somehow Rei-chan!"

Rei laughed, before wincing as Nagisa carefully pressed the ice against his cheek. His expression mellowed as the room became silent, and all they could hear was the soft sound of crickets outside. Nagisa didn't speak, his brows furrowing in anxiety and concentration as he treated Rei's bruise. He pressed the ice up against his face, the dull ache soon easing out as the chill spread through his face and eased his pain. He could feel his lower lip throbbing, probably trying to stop the bleeding. Nagisa seemed to chime onto his body's thoughts, because he suddenly put the ice down and ran out of the room against, coming back with a small cloth.

Rei was silent as the boy sat down again and began to dab at his lip. It was peaceful, listening to the world wane down into evening, hearing life slowly come to a close. As Nagisa began to wipe against his chin, cleaning the small trail of blood, Rei sighed and closed his eyes. He was content this way, his earlier anger appeased. He was slightly bothered by how bothered he had become at the thought of Nagisa being taken advantage of. But he repressed his blush and tried to think logically.

_He's my friend right? I was just looking out for him, as a friend? _ He almost snorted, amused at his own thoughts. _Don't kid yourself Rei, you know it's more than that, he's just-_

"I'm so sorry Rei-chan." Nagisa spoke up. Rei broke away from his thoughts and opened his eyes, staring at his friend, who had stopped cleaning his face and was staring downwards.

His expression softened. "It's alright Nagisa." He spoke calmly, surprised at himself for forgetting the honorific.

"No, it's not!" He shouted, turning his head up to give Rei a fierce look. His eyes were full of unshed tears, but Rei suspected more in frustration than sadness.

"You got beat up because of them! And it's my fault, I-"He paused, looking away.

"It's not your fault!" Rei countered, raising his voice slightly. Nagisa gave him a strong look, and for a moment, Rei thought he was going to open his mouth again and speak, but he didn't. He simply huffed and shook his head, his cheeks becoming increasingly adorable as they became pink.

"You don't understand." Nagisa muttered.

Nagisa sat, his legs bent, thighs touching, in front of Rei for a few moments longer. His knuckles were clenched, and Rei wanted to help. The room tensed as Rei reached out to touch Nagisa's hands. The blonde pulled away and stood up, his face covered in shadows. The calm atmosphere of the evening broken, shattered. Nagisa mumbled something before turning and heading into the kitchen. Rei listened to his footsteps fading, as he could pull them back with a single thought. He didn't dare move after Nagisa left, as if he was afraid he would ruin more if he did. After some minutes he let out a shaky breath and shook his head. The atmosphere of the house felt heavy and hot, and he began to tug at his shirt collar. It didn't feel right, something was off, and he knew it, and he had known it. That Nagisa had been angry, but more than that, he should've known.

He didn't know what to do, his body felt frozen, he was unsure. Should he confront Nagisa? Would that be right? He couldn't lead himself to believe that it was Nagisa's fault, and he couldn't let Nagisa continue to believe that either!

"That's enough of a reason." He spoke softly, as if he was afraid Nagisa would hear him.

He stood up and began to walk to the kitchen. It was empty. With a puzzled expression, he wandered around the house until he found the blonde, sitting on the step leading to the back. His form was slumped, and from his breathing, Rei could tell he was still angry. He approached him warily, almost scared. Nagisa didn't turn though, or bark at him, so he continued his way and sat down next to him. He turned to look at his friend's face. His cheeks were red and hot, and his eyes were watering. He could see his shoulders shaking, but they weren't high and mighty as before. It scared him slightly to see the normally enthusiastic blonde so downtrodden and mad.

"Nagisa?' He asked carefully. The blonde stopped shaking for a moment and turned to him.

"Rei, I-It is my fault." He looked away again. "I just-I wanted to see you, so I waited around where those guys usually hang around, even though I hate them…"

Rei looked shocked. "Why did you wait for me?"

"I-I wanted to talk to you about something, and those guys were there, and it isn't the first time they've ever bothered me, and I was hoping I could catch you before they did, and I'm sorry because you got involved and-" His breathes were short and erratic, and tears were threatening to fall in frustration.

Rei felt his blood boil, but he calmed it for the sake of Nagisa. He scooted closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. "They've given you trouble before? Why didn't you call me?"

Nagisa looked up at his face. "I wasn't sure if you would be willing to help, besides, I can take care of himself, it would've worked out." He murmured.

Rei tightened his grip. "You don't know that for sure Nagisa, please, don't go that way again."

Nagisa nodded, but Rei could tell he was still angry.

The silence passed for a moment before Rei asked. "Why did you want to see me?"

Nagisa sucked in his breath. He pulled out of Rei's grip and ran into the other room.

"Nagisa!" He called out.

He ran after the boy, turning sharply around the corner and stumbling into the main room. Nagisa was crouched over his bag, searching through the pockets and folders until he paused. Without turning, he pulled out a piece of paper and moved his hand so that Rei could grab it. The taller teen grabbed it. It was severely crumpled and wrinkled, the sides curling in and the edges folded over and crunched. It was simple line paper, folded over twice. Rei opened it slowly, and he took a sharp intake of breath.

"Nagisa…what is this?" He asked.

Nasgisa sighed and shook his head. "I thought-I could give it to you today….I just, I just wanted to tell you."

He quickly spun around, and Rei's heart broke. He looked completely drained, as if all his spirit had been roughly taken from him. His mouth was curled upwards, his earlier frustrations forgotten, but it was easily seen through. It was sad, and although he hated Nagisa's frustration, he'd rather him irritated than utterly depressed. "No, no it's okay! You don't have to be the same-I understand, I just wanted to, get this off my chest…"

Rei froze. He had to say the right thing.

"This-this is an Ai-Ai Gasa* I-"

"You don't have to say."

Rei gulped. Okay, that's out.

"I-"Rei stopped suddenly and his mind burst into thought. He flipped the page over and began to draw. Nagisa sent him an exasperated look.

Here shoved the paper into the blonde's hands. His eyes widened.

"Rei-chan, this is, you?" His words were shaky.

"An Ai-Ai Gasa. I know, I know."

"You switched our names."

"That's because I'm giving it to you. Although, it isn't very traditional of you, and it's really romantic, and I probably wouldn't have done it that way but-"

Nagisa's eyes lit up. "You mean it! You really do!"

Rei nodded. His heart swelled as he realized his choice. He gulped and crouched down, leaning over to plant a soft kiss on Nagisa's forehead.

"Yeah. I do."

Nagisa blushed. "Does this mean we're okay then?"

Rei nodded. "I would think so, don't worry about those guys. I'll watch out for you Nagisa, and I-I do want to be there for you, really…" He felt his own cheeks heat up.

Nagisa laughed the familiar spirit returning. "Rei-chan, I-I want to be there for you to. Even if it isn't in the same way."

Rei chuckled. "You can always, you know, help me swim…"

Nagisa launched himself at Rei, the bluenette barely having time to catch the blonde in his arms. Nagisa buried his face into Rei's neck.

"I'm so happy!"

Rei wrapped his arms around the small frame, smiling as well.

"Me too, me too…"

*_For all of you that were wondering, it's a Japanese love umbrella. You've probably seen them before, with two names underneath a triangle with a heart at the top. If you're confused, Google that shit. Also, I know it isn't typical to confess love this way, but it's like carving your name on a tree, it's just adorable._

_Also this will be much longer than I expected! Please review for more! _


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